- How would you characterize the relationship between Félix and the gecko?
- What is the effect of having a gecko as the novel’s narrator?
- Does it matter if we don’t pick up on the gecko’s literary former life?
- What is the place and function of dreams in this book?
- What does the novel have to say about memory?
- What does it have to say about the past and/or history?
- What does it have to say about fiction and lies?
- Do you prefer the English title (The Book of Chameleons) to the Portuguese (The Seller of Pasts)? Why or why not?
The following questions are taken from your blog posts…
On Truth and Deception
“Truth has a habit of being ambiguous too” (p 122). Referring to the title of this novel “chameleon”, who changes itself into their surroundings to get closer to their prey. What do you think this reflects about human life? Do we hide our identity for our benefits?
Reflecting on the novel as a whole, what insights have you gained about truth, deception, and the nature of reality? How has your perspective on these themes evolved throughout the story, and what questions or ideas will you continue to explore after finishing the book?
Do you think lies are an important part of our society? What do you think a world without lies would look like? Would it work?
My question for discussion is about Felix and his relationship with the gecko – do you think his dreams about the gecko being a human were purely fiction or was somehow the gecko influencing them?
“I don’t do things like that. I invent dreams for people, I’m not a forger” (p. 17). My question for discussion is how do you interpret the quote stated above? Do you think this is really true about Félix’s work?
On Identity
One of the main themes of this novel is identity, do you think that identity is fixed or ever-changing? Why do you think someone may ask Felix to change their identity? Under what circumstances would you consider changing your identity?
What do you think of the lives being lived by Buchmann/Gouveia? Which one would you consider to be his actual life? Is it possible that it is both of them? Why?
If you would want to be reincarnated, what “completely different” thing would you be. Also, why do you guys think Agualusa used a gecko out of all other lizards? Was there a reason Eulálio couldn’t be a legit chameleon?
Do you think you could live a life of lies successfully like Buchmann, act and talk like your other self? Furthermore, if you could change your past, what would you think you would’ve changed it to?
On the Past and History
If given the opportunity, would you want Félix Ventura to ‘alter’ your past? Why or why not? How do you think altering one’s past might impact one’s present and/or future?
If this ability to change your past, or remove parts of it, or buy a new one entirely, was real, would you change anything at all or would you not change a thing? Why or why not?
What does the past mean to you? If it were you, would you change your past? Why or why not?
Would you hire Felix to give you a new past?
Do you think parts of our history were constructed?
On Characters
Which character fascinated you the most? Why is that?
Who was your favourite character in the novel and why?
Do you think Felix made up or dreamt this whole story?
How does José Eduardo Agualusa use the character of the gecko to explore themes of identity and transformation?
On Dreams
Which one of the many dreams was your favourite? Why?
Would you rather have a beautiful dream instead of a painful memory?
What do you think the dreams symbolize?
On Lizards and other animals
How did you react to realizing that the narrator was a gecko? Did you find that it added to or took away from your enjoyment of the novel?
Why does this book have the gecko as the first narrator and not any other animal?
What animal would you want to be reincarnated into after you die?
On the Title
Does the title of a novel influence your understanding of a book? Would you have read this novel differently if it was called ‘The Seller of Pasts” compared to “The Book of Chameleons”?
What do you think of the title change? Do you prefer one over the other?
Other
Also just for fun, would you consider yourself an animist? I think I would call myself one!
Do you think you are a chameleon? What makes you think yes or no?
Do you think the man in the mask is someone we have been introduced to in the book? Or someone Eulalio must have known in his past life?
What’s the point of Eulalio being a former human?
To what extent does narrative influence the way characters perceive themselves and their place in the world?
What are your thoughts on the ending?
Did you also think buchmann and Ventura were the same person or did you interpret this differently?
Do you believe in reincarnation? Do you think we bring the memories of our past lives with us into our next life?
When Eulalio’s mom tells him that he should choose books over life because they contain sometimes more truth than reality, do we agree with that?
When the house is described as being alive in the beginning, is that because everything is a construct, or something else?
What do you think of José’s method for dealing with his trauma? In his situation, what would you do?
Could you see a connection to repressed memories and dreams? Do you think Félix could be acting this way out of a trauma response? Or am I being batshit crazy 🙁
